dinsdag 25 juni 2019

Mathilde & Elisabeth on UNICEF visit to Kenya

From the 24 to 27 June 2019, Queen Mathilde, who's the Honorary Chairwoman of UNICEF Belgium, visited Kenya. She was accompanied by her daughter, Crown Princess Elisabeth (17) who performed her first humanitarian mission abroad.

24-25 June 2019

Mathilde, Elisabeth & their delegation left from Amsterdam on 24 June and arrived late in the evening in Kenya.

The news that Elisabeth was also present on this mission was only spread in the morning of 25 June. Elisabeth had just returned from Wales where she finished her school year. Yet in very subtle terms court's website had already hinted Elisabeth would be part of the journey: " Tevens wordt de actieve rol die jongeren kunnen opnemen - als actoren van verandering - benadrukt tijdens deze zending."/"la Reine souhaite également attirer l'attention sur la mise en œuvre des ODD par le renforcement des actions locales de l'UNICEF, au travers des efforts des autorités locales en faveur des droits de l'enfant et de la femme ainsi que par le rôle actif des jeunes - en tant qu’acteurs du changement"




Arrival at the Kakuma refugee camp where 180.000 refugees were staying.








A visit to the Furaha Center at Kakuma Refugee Camp. The child-friendly center offers a safe environment for at risk children through play and educational activities. The activities are also a form of therapy for these children who are often traumatized.












Queen Mathilde and Princess Elisabeth observed the learning and school activities of children at Future Primary school in Kalobeyei Village. The school has 3,834 children in primary school and 1,646 children in early-childhood development. Unicef Belgium helps with the formation of the teachers.










Mother & daughter also visited the home of a family. Many of the children are orphans and get a foster family. 



With UN employee Mohammed Hassan who grew up in the refugee camp. He'd met Mathilde before in Davos.



At Jitegemee Centre in Kakuma Refugee Camp they spent time with young mothers who were building sustainable livelihood skills like baking, tailoring and hairdressing.





They were shown the handcrafted objects that are made. Mathilde & Elisabeth also took a set home with them.



Later there was a meeting with a student who talked to the Belgian royals about his life & aspirations for the future.



Finally, Head of Kakuma Programs Sukru Cansizoglu briefed the Queen on the work of the UNHCR and its partners. 



In an interview with the Belgian press, Queen Mathilde said they'd spent a very emotional moment with the little children who were traumatized. Most of them had lost their parents. She spoke of her admiration for the foster parents within the refugee camp. She'd learnt a lot in one day she added, as had her daughter.



 26 June 2019

Crown Princess Elisabeth & Queen Mathilde spent the second day of their UNICEF visit in the slums of Nairobi.

At the Dagoretti Centre unaccompanied children get the chance to play and learn in a safe environment. There's psychological assistance for them and the aim is to reintegrate them in a foster family, a school or a community.







video: https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2019/06/26/koningin-mathilde-neemt-elisabeth-mee-naar-sloppenwijken-van-nai/

Mathilde & Elisabeth visited the home of Caroline, a single mom of 6. She owns practically nothing.




Queen Mathilde with UNICEF Kenya Representative Maniza Zaman and UNICEF President of Board Ronald Steisel. She also met with CS Education George Magoha to discuss the progress in improving access to quality education in Kenya.


Then Mathilde & Elisabeth visited a football academy where they bravely tried to kick a ball with the young boys & girls ... They also handed out T-shirts and footballs donated by the Belgian Red Devils.



Mathilde & Elisabeth then met with Kenyan youth advocates. They discussed topics like growing up in Kenya, skills for youth, education, menstrual hygiene and youth participation in the SDGs.




Finally Queen Mathilde met Kenyan First Lady Margaret Kenyatta at the State House in Nairobi.



The First Lady and Queen Mathilde discussed ways of increasing access to education and healthcare services, especially for disadvantaged communities.




27 June 2019

On their final day in Kenya, Queen Mathilde and Crown Princess Elisabeth visited a boarding school for Masai children whose parents live a long way from the school. The Masai are a nomadic people and the Bisil Primary School ensures the children get an education. The school also protects girls from harmful practices such as genital mutilation.












A family in Kajiado welcomed Mathilde & Elisabeth, discussing the family’s priorities for their daughter's education.







Queen Mathilde and Crown Princess Elisabeth participated in a community dialogue in Kajiado, supported by UNICEF and World Vision. These sessions seek to engage communities in addressing harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation. 







The visit ended with the Crown Princess's first talk to the press. She gave a statement about this mission, in Dutch and in French.


" This was my first time visiting East Africa. I've been met by so many impressions. I was really touched when I met the little children in the Kakuma refugee camp. As small and fragile as they are, they've experienced many traumatic events. I was also touched by the meetings with the girls of my own age, these past days, they show so much courage and perseverance in the difficult situation they're in. By travelling to this country I've been able to witness the work organisations like Unicef do and the impact they have on the local communities. More girls are at school now and the ideas about child marriage and female mutilation are slowly but surely changing. "


link to interviews with Mathilde & Elisabeth: https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2019/06/27/kroonprinses-elisabeth-de-keniase-meisjes-van-mijn-leeftijd-to/

Mathilde told the journalist King Philippe is very proud of his daughter. Just like Mathilde back in the day, Philippe also did volunteer work in the Cairo slums when he was young. Will Elisabeth follow in their footsteps? Mathilde: "That's too early to tell, but you can see how eager she was to be here".
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